Current multi-channel audio compression methods are bulky and processor intensive. Multi-channel audio compression is often used to create “surround sound” where a system produces sound that appears to surround the listener. Speakers are situated around the listener to provide the impression that sounds are coming from all possible direction. Consequently, surround sound often provides a more realistic experience, especially when listening to soundtracks of motion pictures and when engaged in video games.
Current multi-channel audio compression methods require discrete speaker arrangements to output the sound in a quality manner. One approach to current multi-channel audio compression is using “n.n” audio tracks, such as “5.1,” “7.1,” etc. In a 5.1 system, there are 5 channels of sound (left, right, center, left surround, and right surround) and 1 channel for low frequency effects (LFE), usually produced by a subwoofer. A 7.1 system is similar but provides an additional left rear and right reach channel for seven channels with the same single channel for LFE. Currently, to produce these effects each channel is stored separately and is bandwidth intensive to transmit. The approaches often need matching speaker outputs to produce the sound correctly. These approaches also utilize intensive remixing in which the source is recoded by same style of equipment. These approaches also result in perceptual coding that limits sound fidelity since re-composition of depends on the psychoacoustic model that was used.